Over the summer there are local night markets (marche nocturne) taking place in Gensac and  Pessac.

These markets are very popular with many people taking the opportunity to dine alfresco in the beautifully renovated surroundings.

Artisanale food and wine available from local producers – try a salad with warm goats cheese from the farm at Pessac; local melon; beef from Les Remparts; Magret from Cafe de la Paix; vegetarian or fish brochettes from Le Gensaké; Escargots; followed by a selection of cheeses; patisserie; Morrocan pastries or local fruit. And for the children – candy floss and sweets galore! All accompanied by wines from Chateau that surround Gensac. Live music and dancing!

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Are you attending a wedding in the Entre-deux-Mers close to the regions of Saint Emilion, Castillon or Pessac-sur-Dordogne?

We provide wedding accommodation in our beautifully renovated cottage.

Suitable for four or five people, this self catering cottage has two double bedrooms and two bathrooms, a large farmhouse kitchen and open plan living area. Fully equipped and large enough to host  a drinks party for guests or a pre wedding supper.

So if you are attending a wedding at one of these venues and need some off-site accomodation then give us a call.

• Château Rigaud - Mouliets et Villemartin

• Château de Sanse - Sainte Radegonde

• Château des Vigiers Golf & Country Club - Monestier

Email  Helen on helen.kelly@claribes.com or Telephone France +33 (0)557 47 16 62 or call our UK Number 0203 239 9463

You can find Château de Claribés on this map.

We now have two wines selected by the CIVB in 2012. Château de Claribès  ”Hand-Picked” Bordeaux Rosé has been selected as well as Marpeau Rouge 2005 – Sainte Foy Bordeaux.

The Rosé is made from 100% Merlot, picked by hand from vines immediately behind the Château. These vines are in conversion to “Agriculture Biologique”.

It’s made in the same style as a dry white wine using cold fermentaion and short skin contact, this results in a wonderful freshness and Raspberry pink colour.

The wine is available direct from the Château and our UK wine shop

If you are in the Cheltenham area you can try and buy the wine at the Cheltenham Food & Drink Festival 2012

Sometimes life is full of surprises, this weeks best happened when a visitor arrived at the Château door brandishing the latest copy of Decanter magazine. “..a case of the Hand-Picked Rosé please and did you know you’re in the Decanter Bordeaux 2012 issue ?”.

It’s true, only six Bordeaux Rosé feature and Château de Claribés “Hand-Picked” Bordeaux Rosé 2011 is one of them, they gave it three and a half stars as well!

Just click on the image to enlarge it and read what they have to say.

The wine is made from grapes that are in their second year of conversion to “Agriculture Biologique” or organic in English. The first fully certified organic version will be 2013.

Picked, moved, stirred and bottled according to the lunar calendar, all our wines are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Not Just For The Holidays.

If you’re in the area and want to know what’s on right now then take a look at Helen Wood’s Blog.

An excellent profile of Château de Claribès and the Bordeaux Appelation Sainte-Foy Bordeaux appears on thewinedoctor.com .

The profile is written by the independent wine writer Chris Kissack a specialist in the wines of the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Chris is the sole author of Winedoctor.

In the profile Chris tastes and reviews five wines from Château de Claribès including the 09 Bordeaux Rose and the 08 Sainte-Foy Bordeaux Old Vine Malbec.

View the full profile on this link – Claribes Profile

In his wine of the week article, the WineDoctor, says that every wine writer that features Bordeaux “focuses far too much time on a small selection of famous names, the top two hundred (or thereabouts) chateaux of the region. Yes, these are the chateaux that make the necessary waves, and thus define the region, but they are not the be-all and end-all of Bordeaux.”

We couldn’t agree more, it’s self perpetuating and self fulfilling, it blocks wine lovers from finding some exceptionally good wine that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Our Hand Picked Sauvignon Blanc is a great example, selected as wine of the week by the WineDoctor.

You can find the article at http://bit.ly/fKP0rx

Just in time for the holidays!

We have teamed up with Alistair Sawday’s to create a super gift box for the holiday season. Included is a bottle of  ’Maison 2005′, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (Decanter Magazine described the wine as “a lovely expression of red Bordeaux”) and Sawday’s bestselling guide Special Places to Stay: French Vineyards.

Order on-line for delivery in the UK

This favourite title from Sawday’s is an unmissable guide for those who want to delve deeper into French culture and the rhythms of rural life. Spend lazy days sauntering around La Belle France, quaffing, learning, meeting interesting owners with tales to tell, eating regional food in convivial company and then staying put for the night. There are gîtes, châteaux and B&Bs on wine producing estates in the country’s best wine regions. All have been inspected and are special, so rev up the old deux chevaux (making sure there’s room for a few crates), don your best panama and prepare to meander.

In this year’s Guide Hachette des Vins we have entries in both the Bordeaux Rose section and Sainte-Foy Bordeaux Rouge.

Our Bordeaux Rose is star rated for the second time.